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New humanitarian operation by the Foreign Ministry in response to the crisis in the Horn of Africa

2011-08-18

Date:

08/18/2011

Maeci

Minister Frattini and Italian Development Cooperation remain on high alert over the plight of the population affected by famine and drought in the Horn of Africa. A new humanitarian flight to send urgent supplies to the region takes off this evening from the United Nations Humanitarian Depot in Brindisi.

The flight was organised by the Foreign Ministry’s Development Cooperation Department in close coordination with the Office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It will reach Nairobi tomorrow morning, Friday 19 August, with a cargo of 30 tons of essential supplies such as tents, drinking water containers, electricity generators, blankets, and cooking kits for families.

In the Kenyan capital, Development Cooperation personnel will hand the supplies over to the UNHCR, which will transfer it to the Dabaab camps in the north of the country for distribution. For the camps, which have taken in over 400,000 refugees, mainly women and children from Somalia, the UNHCR is appealing for more aid to respond to the drought and famine afflicting the entire Horn of Africa.

Today’s operation, which has a monetary value of 300,000 euros, closely follows a similar Development Cooperation flight which reached Nairobi on 2 August carrying 40 tons of food supplies donated to the Kenyan Red Cross.

Both operations are in addition to Italian Development Cooperation operations totalling 11.5 million euros already under way in the Region.